Our Tips
1. Latest Trends in Haute Couture Engagement (2024-2025)
- Virtual Front Row: Livestream shows with VR/AR elements (e.g., front-row holograms, 360° runway views).
- Guochao Fusion: Integrating Chinese cultural elements (e.g., Suzhou embroidery, cloisonné motifs) into Western designs.
- Sustainability Narratives: Highlight eco-conscious materials (e.g., silk from Hangzhou’s ethical farms).
- Phygital Collectibles: Release NFT versions of couture pieces for digital collectors.
2. Pre-Show Hype: Building Anticipation
A. Tease with KOL Mysteries
- Partner with luxury influencers like @包先生 (Mr. Bags) or @黎贝卡 (Becky Li) to post cryptic clues (e.g., close-ups of fabric swatches or sketches).
- Example: Dior leaked a jade-inspired gown via @深夜徐老师 (Xiaohongshu), sparking 10K+ speculative comments.
B. Exclusive Mini-Documentaries
- Release behind-the-scenes films on Bilibili or WeChat, showcasing artisanship (e.g., a master tailor in Paris hand-stitching qipao details).
- Valentino’s 2023 documentary on its Beijing atelier trended with 5M+ views.
C. VIP “Golden Ticket” Campaigns
- Use WeChat mini-programs to let users enter lotteries for show invites or limited-edition gifts (e.g., embroidered fan invites).
3. During the Show: Maximize Digital Reach
A. Multi-Platform Livestreams
- Stream on Douyin (for mass reach) and WeChat Video (for high-net-worth audiences). Add real-time translations for Mandarin commentary.
- Chanel’s 2024 Shanghai show offered a “Director’s Cut” stream on Tencent Video with close-ups of embroidery, watched by 8M+ users.
B. Interactive Features
- Let viewers vote on their favorite looks via WeChat polls; announce winners post-show.
- Gucci used Douyin’s “Tap to Zoom” feature for users to inspect beadwork details during its Shenzhen show.
C. Second-Screen Engagement
- Partner with Zhihu (Quora-like platform) for live Q&As with designers or stylists during the stream.
4. Post-Show Strategies: Sustain Momentum
A. Xiaohongshu UGC Campaigns
- Launch hashtags like #我的高定时刻 (#MyCoutureMoment) for users to share AI-generated photos of themselves in virtual couture.
- Armani’s 2023 campaign encouraged fans to redesign its gowns digitally, with the best entries featured on its Tmall store.
B. Limited Pre-Orders via Tmall Luxury Pavilion
- Offer 10–20 pieces of select looks for pre-order, emphasizing scarcity (e.g., “Only 1 in China”).
- Elie Saab sold a ¥1.2M dragon-embroidered gown this way in 2024, with payment plans to attract younger elites.
C. KOL “Reaction” Content
- Gift pieces to top celebrities (e.g., 迪丽热巴 Dilraba) for post-event red carpet appearances or Xiaohongshu posts.
5. Cultural Nuances to Master
- Color Symbolism: Red for luck, but avoid all-white looks (associated with mourning).
- Festival Tie-Ins: Time shows around Mid-Autumn Festival or National Day for thematic collections (e.g., moon-inspired silhouettes).
- Local Pride: Highlight Chinese models (e.g., 贺聪 He Cong) or craftsmanship (e.g., partnerships with Miao silver artisans).
Case Studies
- Dior’s 2023 Shanghai Show:
- Streamed on Douyin with a “choose-your-angle” feature.
- Collaborated with 故宫 (Forbidden City) on a capsule collection, promoted via KOL @李子柒 Liziqi-style aesthetic videos.
- Result: 200M+ social impressions, 15 sold-out looks on Tmall.
- Fendi’s Great Wall Show:
- Livestream included a VR walk on the Great Wall.
- Released NFT tickets granting access to a metaverse afterparty.
- Result: Global media coverage + 50% surge in WeChat searches.
Pitfalls to Avoid
- Overwesternized Narratives: Balance global prestige with Chinese cultural pride (e.g., avoid “Orientalist” clichés).
- Ignoring Data Privacy: Use Chinese platforms (not Instagram/Google) for VIP data collection.
- Elitist Tone: While exclusive, emphasize accessibility (e.g., “This dress is a dream, but our perfume is yours”).
Pro Tip:
Copy Schiaparelli’s 2024 strategy: It turned its Beijing show into a mini-drama series on Youku, with each look “revealed” in episodic cliffhangers. Engagement tripled vs. traditional streams.
By blending couture artistry, digital spectacle, and cultural reverence, brands can turn a Haute Couture show into a lasting imprint on China’s luxury psyche
It is often said that fashion shows are an event for fashion people, which are unreachable and unapproachable. In New York, London, Milan, and Paris fashion week shows, there are always a lot of celebrities, artists, and fashion buyers to be seen. In recent years, the Chinese fashion industry has burgeoned, and the Chinese audience has become one of the main targets of fashion shows.
What exactly is an haute couture show?
Haute Couture, which originated in France, is a high-end design by top designers and is a representative of “high society”.
Almost no one can afford to pay for “disposable products”, the customer base is limited to a very narrow circle of wealthy people, and couture dresses home of astonishingly high.
Haute couture is to let the model wear high fashion, on the runway to showcase the designer’s work, and different runway styles to present fashion.
As Valentino’s creative director Piccioli said,
“Haute couture used to be for the few. Thanks to several initiatives, I hope my brand has contributed to an increasingly clear idea that [haute couture] is relevant to a wider culture that welcomes everyone to enjoy the beauty in any way possible.”
In China, the fashion industry is developing slowly compared to Western countries, but the rapid development in recent years has also fostered a large Chinese audience with a love of fashion and a high level of aesthetics. Therefore, haute couture, in China, how to open the market and expand the customer base, is something worth thinking about.
Open online live show
Online platforms such as Weibo DouYin have a great influence in China, and luxury brands that choose to be present and start a conversation can, I believe, quickly increase the exposure of a premium luxury brand or high fashion show.
On DouYin, there is a special fashion column “Dou Fashion Week”, and the video collection has received more than 800,000 plays in total. The topic “Online Fashion Week” has also received a total of 339,000 views. A lot of Italian luxury goods are on DouYin, for example, Valentino, you can see that the #ValentinoFall/Winter 2022 fashion show has a total of 12,822,000 plays, which is a good way to get Chinese viewers involved in the discussion of the fashion show.
WeChat: finding loyal customers
According to statistics, there are 107 luxury brands in China, 92% of which have official WeChat accounts. Those who use small programs or actively follow the public numbers of luxury brands, this part is most likely to have their own purchasing needs or are good at catching fashion messages. Therefore, we can
1. Publish targeted articles
Following accounts to get fashion information is a good way to quickly get information from customers to provide services.
In July 2022, Chanel released the full video of the 2022/23 Fall/Winter Haute Couture presentation on WeChat and clutched a series of articles on “The World of Haute Couture”, telling the design concept behind the new collection, showing the content of the collaboration between the model designer musicians and full of artistic atmosphere.
Encourage customers to like and subscribe, the content is in line with the Chinese audience’s taste.
2. Use short videos
WeChat has opened the video number model in recent years. Short videos can be a great way to attract a lot of attention from young fashion fans and are a new model for high fashion to connect with the audience.
Dior’s WeChat public number, video content alone has established several columns such as # Dior Workshop # Dior Jewelry # Dior and Art, and the high fashion section also clearly features videos of high fashion shows such as #2022 Spring/Summer Ready-to-wear #2022 Autumn/Winter Haute Couture.
These quality short video contents can be intuitive, catch the eye, and are undoubtedly a great way to expand the audience of fashion shows.
Overall, today’s luxury brands have opened a new beginning for haute couture, redefining it with humanism and inclusivity. With the future trends in China, Chinese social media will make a prominent contribution to gaining a larger audience for couture shows.
3. Use Media to give more resonance
You can relay press releases on the Chinese websites to give more audience to your Show.
Most of the Top Brands use it and maximize their Media exposure.
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